CASCADeS
A Framework and Toolkit for Collaborative Community Co-design.
Welcome to the Framework.
CASCADeS is an acronym for Collaborative Adaptation of Service Models for Child And family health in Diverse Settings.
The CASCADeS Framework provides a platform for you to come together with others from your community to consider the needs of families in your unique local context, and outcomes you are hoping to improve which are meaningful in your setting. It is hoped that the CASCADeS Framework, and accompanying Resource Toolkit, will be a useful guide when considering the implementation of child and family health service models or other interventions which have been successfully developed in other communities or contexts.
It's about coming together.
The CASCADeS Framework is structured in terms of 4 key tiers, aligned with the water falling down the cascade, each contributing to the next. Starting at the top, the tiers are represented by C O M E — Context, Outcomes expected, Model, Evaluation and reflection.
The analogy of cascades, flowing from one level to another as might be seen in a waterfall or river, is used to depict the way in which the elements in each tier flows into and informs the considerations for the next. An illustration of this analogy can be found in the Resource Toolkit. The information flows similarly to water downstream, filling each level and then ultimately landing at the bottom of the cascade, where you and your group can stop to reflect on the outcomes of the process; while planning the evaluation strategies for what comes next. And then once again, just as the water flows, you will be able to continue downstream to implement your agreed strategies and interventions in an effort to achieve your end goals.
The research that informed the development of the CASCADeS Framework and Resource Toolkit has been published in the Journal of Child Health Care, and can be accessed on SAGE Publishing.
You are encouraged to come together as a group of community stakeholders, inclusive of parents and other community members, and use the Framework’s Resource Toolkit to identify the questions and actions in each of the 4 tiers which will be most relevant and helpful to your community context and the aims you are seeking to achieve. As you move through the levels of the CASCADeS, you will draw on collective insights, strengthen collaborative relationships - working together toward the ultimate goal of providing greater access to the contextually relevant and effective services to support families in your local community.
Using the CASCADeS Framework
Each of the sections of this website contains a set of elements for you and your collaborating partners to consider. The Resource Toolkit contains resources to act as guides to focus the discussion of your group. These include focus questions for Tier 1 (Context) and Tier 2 (Outcomes expected); a checklist with room for comments and thoughts for Tier 3 (Model); and a discussion starter guide for Tier 4 (Evaluation and Reflection).
These resources can be used during the group interactions, or prior to the group meeting to provide an opportunity to consider and collect thoughts. It is not envisaged that you will work through every element (or question) of each tier, but rather that you will C-O-M-E together to identify which elements are relevant to what you are focusing on and aiming to achieve, including your community context and the service model or intervention you are considering implementing (or adapting).
Whether information is collected through group discussion, via online survey or by individuals completing the activities separately, the insights can be brought to the whole group as you share your knowledge and experiences. You will be able to C-O-M-E together as a collective to identify informed priorities for children and families in your community, and consider whether a particular service model is the right fit for your context, or whether adaptations are required.
If you are interested in combining the CASCADeS Framework with Participatory Action Research, you can complete the form below or email Deborah Stockton for a PDF copy of the CASCADeS Framework, which contains an explanatory section on overlaying Participatory Action Research with the CASCADeS Framework.
A rural initiative.
The CASCADeS Framework has been developed as part of doctoral studies undertaken to explore the extent to which specialist metropolitan child and family health service models can be implemented in diverse settings. Examples of diverse settings include rural, regional and remote communities, as well as international settings.
Ready to get started?
The four key tiers of the Framework and accompanying Resource Toolkit are accessible through the page menu, or the following links.
You are encouraged to harness the momentum of the information you gain as you move through the levels of the CASCADeS, and the collaborative relationships which may be formed or strengthened, to guide your planning and actions. The ultimate goal being, providing greater access to evidence-based specialist child and family health services for families and communities in diverse, and often less well-resourced settings.
For the complete version.
Whilst most of the Framework and accompanying resources are accessible online, additional resources and background material will remain available through a downloadable PDF version. For access to the complete version, simply fill out the form below, and it will be sent to the email address provided.
